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The NRA just wrapped up a long-awaited press conference to address the recent tragedy at Sandy Hook. The event was hyped as containing a major announcement for the organization which has come under fire for its agenda as the number and severity of mass shootings continues to rise in America.

So, what would the big announcement be? Would they finally be willing to admit that assault weapons aren't necessary for hunting? That people don't need extended magazines in rifles for personal protection?

Please, the answer is more guns, of course.

I'm writing about this here, in our little corner of the site, because in the speech, Wayne LaPierre, executive vice-president of the NRA, cited violent video games as a contributing factor in tragedies like these. "Guns don't kill people." he said. "Video games, the media and Obama's budget kill people." He even called out a few by name:

"There exists in this country, sadly, a callous, corrupt and corrupting shadow industry that sells and stows violence against its own people, through vicious, violent video games with names like “Bulletstorm,” “Grand Theft Auto,” “Mortal Kombat,” and “Splatterhouse.”

No form of media was spared however, as he also mentioned "bloodsoaked" movies and even violent music videos as influencing young minds. Because we're still enjoying the gangster rap of the '90s, after all.

The message here was clear, blame everything but guns. Why bother considering that violent video games are played in all corners of the world, yet somehow it's only the US with its lax gun laws where tragedies like this happen with this frequency? Video games are an easy target, almost as easy as the NRA itself which is doing everything it can to act like they're the solution to the problem, not one of the primary causes.

The press conference went from standard stump speech to truly bizarre when the NRA's big idea to help protect children in school turned out to be a national program to enlist an army of volunteers to patrol the corridors of high schools, junior high and elementary schools, keeping the kids safe from potential shooters. A direct quote from LaPierre: "The only thing that stops a bad guy with a gun is a good guy with a gun."

He is literally suggesting that retired police and military members patrol schools with guns. The program would be nationwide, and schools could opt out of it, but that would be up to the faculty and the parents. You know, those freedom-haters who who WANT their children to be at risk.

It's the transformation of our country into a police state, pure and simple, or at least a very broad first step. So fine, you somehow manage to find enough competent, mentally stable people to guard every school in the country five days a week for eight hours a day. But shouldn't we do the same for college campuses? That would require a lot more manpower. How about daycares? Malls? How about anywhere where more than ten people gather at a time? As much as it might sound like a good idea to them to assign Jack Bauer to police each and every one of our vulnerable institutions, in practice, it's unworkable, bordering on insane.

It was hard to believe this was being presented as a serious suggestion. By the end you were half expecting LaPierre to start talking about arming teachers or going all the way and letting kindergartners conceal carry. You know, for protection.

Past the blame on video games, which is at worst, a minor annoyance, this entire press conference was a direct affront to the victims of this tragedy, and all others like it. The unwillingness to admit that easy access to guns is a huge factor in events like this is just astonishing. I can understand pushback against weapons bans which may not be terribly effective, but there's no need to run the other direction and start saying they need to turn our schools into something resembling military bases or prisons.

What an astonishing speech that was. How this organization has such massive influence in our government, I have no idea.

But hey, blame the games, blame the movies. But who will we blame when our society turns into something resembling a country forcefully occupied by its own gun-wielding citizens?